ascend
verb
as·cend ə-ˈsend 
ascended; ascending; ascends
intransitive verb
1
a
: to move upward
the balloon ascended
b
: to slope upward
The path ascends through the woods.
c
: to conduct nerve impulses toward or to the brain
an ascending somatosensory pathway
2
a
: to rise from a lower level or degree
ascend to power
b
: to go back in time or in order of genealogical succession
c
: to pass from lower to higher musical notes
C – E ascending
transitive verb
1
: to go or move up
ascend a staircase
2
: to succeed to : occupy
ascend the throne
ascendable adjective
or ascendible
ə-ˈsen-də-bəl
Synonyms
- arise
- aspire
- climb
- lift
- mount
- rise
- soar
- thrust
- up
- uprear
- uprise
- upthrust
- upturn
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
They watched their balloons slowly ascend into the sky. Divers must not ascend too rapidly to the water's surface. She believed that when she died, her soul would ascend to heaven. Several paths ascend to the top of the mountain. stairs ascending to the attic John Adams ascended to the presidency in 1797. She worked as a clerk before ascending to her current position. See More
Recent Examples on the Web That seems to be the challenge looming for the less-than-adored King Charles III: keep a storied global institution going so that his popular son can one day ascend the throne. 
Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2022 Charles, 73 years old, is the oldest man to ascend to the throne, eclipsing William IV, who took over in 1830 at the age of 64. David Luhnow, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 The heir waited a record-breaking 70 years to ascend to the throne; his track record led some to speculate that Prince William, his eldest son, would take the crown instead. Nora Mcgreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2022 The two marine science students, who met at the University of Otago in New Zealand, climbed Swan Gully on July 31, then went to ascend Snake Dike, a popular route on the southwest face of Half Dome, early the next morning, Evans told the magazine. Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022 Maybe the Diamondbacks will have more such players ascend. Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 29 Aug. 2022 Also featured are seven convex mirrors, festooned with beads, that diagonally ascend the wall as the color of their ornaments shifts from red to orange to pale yellow. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022 People have managed to bypass it and ascend the steps to the bridge’s highest point. Tribune News Service, oregonlive, 13 Aug. 2022 On a scorching summer evening, with humidity choking the city, thousands of sweaty visitors lined up to ascend almost 1,400 feet up in the air. Roland Li, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Aug. 2022 See More
Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2022 Charles, 73 years old, is the oldest man to ascend to the throne, eclipsing William IV, who took over in 1830 at the age of 64. David Luhnow, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 The heir waited a record-breaking 70 years to ascend to the throne; his track record led some to speculate that Prince William, his eldest son, would take the crown instead. Nora Mcgreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2022 The two marine science students, who met at the University of Otago in New Zealand, climbed Swan Gully on July 31, then went to ascend Snake Dike, a popular route on the southwest face of Half Dome, early the next morning, Evans told the magazine. Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022 Maybe the Diamondbacks will have more such players ascend. Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 29 Aug. 2022 Also featured are seven convex mirrors, festooned with beads, that diagonally ascend the wall as the color of their ornaments shifts from red to orange to pale yellow. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022 People have managed to bypass it and ascend the steps to the bridge’s highest point. Tribune News Service, oregonlive, 13 Aug. 2022 On a scorching summer evening, with humidity choking the city, thousands of sweaty visitors lined up to ascend almost 1,400 feet up in the air. Roland Li, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin ascendere, from ad- + scandere to climb — more at scan
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a
Phrases Containing ascend
Kids Definition
ascend
verb
as·cend ə-ˈsend
ascended; ascending
1
: to go or move up
We ascended the hill.
2
: to rise to a higher or more powerful position
Abraham Lincoln ascended to the presidency in 1861.
Medical Definition
ascend
intransitive verb
as·cend ə-ˈsend
: to move upward: as
a
: to conduct nerve impulses toward or to the brain
nerve fibers that ascend to a nucleus of the brain
ascending and descending tracts
b
: to affect the extremities and especially the lower limbs first and then the central nervous system
ascending paralysis
ascended
verb
as in climbed
to move or extend upward the path ascended so steeply at one point that we had to scramble up on our hands and knees Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- climbed
- rose
- soared
- lifted
- upped
- mounted
- aspired
- arose
- thrust
- upturned
- sloped
- tilted
- surged
- uprose
- towered
- elevated
- leaned
- upthrusted
- upreared
- inclined
- scaled
- uplifted
- crested
- topped
- surmounted
- upraised
- tipped
- ballooned
- upheaved
- zoomed
- boosted
- raised
- reclined
- listed
- blasted off
- slanted
- canted
- took off
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- descended
- dropped
- plunged
- declined
- fell (off)
- dipped
- slid
- plummeted
- sank
- sunk
- dived
- dove
- nose-dived